River of gold
(Rio de Oro)

In 1853, in the state of Sonora in Northwest Mexico, a muleteer is preparing to go to Mexico City to sell his animals and even settle down there. But his long trek involves crossing through war-torn territory. A veritable UFO in the landscape of today’s Mexican cinema, this anti-colonial western with an unusual pacing and set in the midst of the Mexican-American War shows the crossed paths of Mexican criollos, native Apaches and Americans hoping to wrest back Texas from Mexico. At the heart of this violent warring, what reigns is the fear and ignorance of others. The splendid landscapes, which some reviewers see as reminiscent of Terence Malick, provide the setting for struggles that still resonate in Mexican society today. We are far from any kind of “retro” parody, as Rio de Oro strongly intimates that the social and ethnic divide is still a gaping wound. CG